I recently bought a 1.75 liter bottle of Maker’s Mark and was shocked at a nearly $10 price hike. Previously, it had been 35.99 and now it is 44.59. When I asked the store owner, he claimed it had to do with the bad crop season this summer, which I do not believe.
But, it got me to thinking: How much do people in other states pay for alcohol? I’d be particularly interested in the Maker’s Mark price for the 1.75 liter bottle, but would like to know other prices as well. I would also be interested in knowing how your liquor stores are run: state-owned, privately owned or some other way I don’t have any idea of?
It may be a few days until I get back to this thread, but I will get back to it.
I don’t know about Maker’s Mark, but if I remember the ad in the liquor store I was in earlier today, a 1.75 L of Kettle One vodka was running about $45. The cheap vodkas (Popov, 5 O’ Clock, Fleishmann’s) run between $9 and $11.
According to the VA ABC’s website, a 1.75L bottle of Maker’s Mark would cost $52.95 in Virginia. Hmmm…I’m moving to North Carolina tomorrow; I better check the prices there too. Looks like it’s $57.70 in North Carolina.
I don’t drink hard liquor, but a twelve pack of Dos Equis Amber usually costs me thirteen or fourteen dollars. From the SDMB wine club, the wine prices here are within a buck or so of what everyone else is paying
I live in Athens, GA with a bunch of privately owned liquor stores. Our prices are notoriously low, although I can’t give an exact number since I’m back home for the weekend. If I recall correctly, Maker’s Mark is in the mid 30’s for a 1.75 at the place near my apartment. My most frequent purchase is a 12-pack of Newcastle Brown Ale, which runs between $13 at the liquor stores and about $16 at Kroger.
It certainly is in Ontario, but then, liquor is only available in Ontario government stores. No private liquor stores. Makes things less confusing though, at least price-wise. The Liquor Control Board of Ontario’s price for 750 ml (26 oz) of Maker’s Mark, from the LCBO site: $44.25 (Canadian dollars) across the province, all taxes and deposits included in the price. A 1.75 liter size does not seem to be available.
Here in Alberta, I have no idea. No Alberta liquor store seems willing to list its products and prices online; at least, none I could find. Stores are privately-run, some include tax and deposit in the price while some don’t, some offer a small discount per bottle of liquor or wine if you buy three or four or more bottles, and so on. Prices don’t seem to be uniform as they are in Ontario. But prices on liquor generally do not seem to vary widely between provinces in Canada so I’d guess we’d be about in the same ballpark as Ontario and BC: probably somewhere between $43 and $46 total for a 26 oz bottle of Maker’s Mark, depending on retailer markup.
There would be open revolution in California if the State tried to monopolize alcohol sales. Just bought a 1.75 an hour ago. $35.99 at Bevmo. Plus tax. Minus 5% Bevmo Reward. Call it $36.89 out the door.
Since Maker’s is aged about four years, a bad crop season this summer should have dick all to do with the bourbon they’re selling right now.
I haven’t heard anything about a price hike, but I haven’t bought any bourbon in a while. ISTR that a handle of Maker’s runs about $36 in Lexington and about $42 out here in the sticks.
Note to self: if visiting Ontario, take my own bourbon.
In Connecticut, it’s interesting, because we don’t have state stores but I don’t know of any chain liquor stores around. My town has at least 5 liquor stores all small and privately run. Constrast to NJ, where we had Shop Rite Liquors, or CA with Bevmo. So that’s kind of weird. You would think there would be economies of scale.